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GM's Futurliners get registry, classifications

July 2, 2013

GM Futurliners rolling through Anytown, U.S.A. The vehicles were an integral part of the Parade of Progress between 1940 and 1956. Photo by General Motors

General Motor's iconic Futurliners, those Gernsbackian visions brought to life and turned loose on America's highways and byways, are fondly remembered by those who saw them in person and appreciated even by those who didn't.

Even though only 12 were built, however, it's hard to keep track of which vehicle is which -- the nine known surviving 'Liners generally lack identification plates, and not knowing whether your truck displayed the “March of Tools” exhibit or the “Miracles of Heat and Cold” Frigidaire display can drive a man to drink.

But the Parade of Progress may get a bit more organized. As Hemmings explains, Futurliner enthusiasts are making an effort to taxonomize all 12 vehicles to whatever extent possible -- a feat made even more difficult by the fact that the Futurliners were repeatedly modified even while they were in GM's hands.

We're glad to see that an effort is being made to record, to whatever extent possible, the history of these remarkable vehicles. There's another side to this as well -- Futurliners are worth gargantuan bucks, as the $4.1 million Barrett-Jackson sale of one such vehicle in 2006 shows.

Graham Kozak
- Graham Kozak drove a 1951 Packard 200 sedan in high school because he wanted something that would be easy to find in a parking lot. He thinks all the things they're doing with fuel injection and seatbelts these days are pretty nifty too.
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